The birth of "Playboy" magazine: a banner of the "sexual revolution" of that year

In October 1953, the first issue of "Playboy" magazine was born in Hefner On the kitchen table at home, the cover introduced Marilyn Monroe, the calendar girl. The 27-year-old Hefner borrowed US$8,000 from relatives and friends, spent US$500 to buy the copyright of Monroe's semi-nude photos, and founded Playboy by cutting and pasting them. Unexpectedly, the first issue sold more than 50,000 copies (50 cents each).

The birth of "Playboy" catered to the social trends of the United States at that time, which Hefner himself did not expect. Hefner once said that he never wanted to be a "revolutionary." His intention was to create a mainstream men's magazine with "sexual" content, which happened to be a very revolutionary idea. During the "sexual revolution" of the 1960s and 1970s, reading Playboy became a symbol of rebellion. Shortly after the end of World War II, the economy began to recover, and the emergence of automobiles, birth control pills, and television, coupled with the impact of sex research, urbanization, and the Vietnam War, filled university campuses with an anti-traditional atmosphere. "Playboy" mainly featured semi-nude photos of women and talked about sex, leisure, and lifestyle. It quickly stood out and became the best-selling men's magazine. One year after its inception, each issue sold more than 100,000 copies. The circulation once reached more than 8 million copies per issue. At that time, reading "Playboy" became synonymous with "enjoying life". In the 1930s and 1940s, the slogan of American teenagers was: "When you grow up, you want to be as rich as Rockefeller." In the 1960s, the slogan became: "When you grow up, you want to be as happy as Hefner." Playboy was pushed to the forefront by the radical cultural movement at that time and became a banner of the sexual revolution movement. The most important thing about the "sexual revolution" symbolized by "Playboy" is not the change of sexual behavior, but the legalization of the media's public reporting of "sex".

"The pursuit of pleasure" is the essence of Hefner's "Playboy Philosophy". In the first issue of "Playboy", he once wrote: "'Playboy' does not refer to decadent hedonism. What we call a 'Playboy' is someone who doesn't see life as just a series of bitter tears. The message behind Playboy magazine is that entertainment and enjoyment are good things for each of us. The world is passing by in a hurry, and life should be lived tastefully. Sex itself is not just about passing on the family line, it is the real driving force for the world to move forward." Hefner believes that the reason why "Playboy" has been able to defeat many competitions in the past. This is because it is not just pursuing the style of a magazine, but creating a style of life, of which "sex" is only a small part.

Hefner was a direct person, but not a rude and unarticulated person. After establishing a foothold, he had increasingly higher requirements for the quality of the magazine. Each issue of Playboy features a playmate, interviews, fictional literature and classic Playboy art. Some famous models such as Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, and Hollywood stars Sharon Stone, King, and Basinger have all appeared on magazine covers and are proud of it. Michael Jordan, Bob Dylan, Bill Gates, etc. have all been interviewed by Playboy. John Updike, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, and Tom Clancy also wrote in the magazine.

Playboy has been published for 50 years and has witnessed many important eras. The style of the cover girls has also changed. The only constant is the coquettish and childish bunny girl.

As Christie grew older, her relationship with her father became closer. Talk about politics, talk about religion, talk about almost everything. She discovered that "Playboy" was not entirely a pornographic magazine. It had its own political stance. It once took a clear stand against the Vietnam War and the death penalty, and often published interviews with sharp opinions or articles written by well-known domestic writers. So, after graduating with honors from Brandeis University, Christie decided to step out of the world of "Gunn's Daughters" and become a member of the Hefner family.

Nowadays, Playboy has passed its destiny. In addition to magazines, its territory has expanded to television, video tapes and the Internet. Despite fierce competition, its average circulation has been maintained at around 3.2 million copies in recent years, with approximately 10 million U.S. adults purchasing it each month. 25 years ago, "Playboy" began to develop overseas markets, and now has 19 editions around the world, shared by 5 million readers (mainly men) in different countries.

Playboy and its bunny girl trademark have become one of the symbols of American culture.

Half a century has passed. Has Playboy changed or has society changed? Christie replied: "The culture has changed." Hefner added: "Of course we have changed too. We are becoming more and more comfortable with our appearance and more and more comfortable with the fact that we are sexy."

So some people say that half a century after its birth, "Playboy" is finally going to change. But in fact, has society changed or has Playboy changed? "It was Playboy that changed society," Christie said. "It made us accustomed to nudity and sexiness." That tone was reminiscent of her father Hefner, who once boasted: "Man has three great inventions: fire, (Car) wheels and "Playboy"

Hefner, the founder of "Playboy", recently announced that he would implement a "surgery" on the magazine, which is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary. A little "pornography" to add some "readability". In fact, the editors of "Playboy" began to focus on the text a few years ago, and each issue will also publish several readable articles and interviews. Now "Playboy" no longer refers to that magazine, it has become an international brand. The Hefner family has already invested everywhere. They own their own television station and hotel industry, and also sell brand rights to many clothing merchants and gift merchants. Last year, Hefner also increased investment in pornographic television networks, acquiring three pornographic television networks for $70 million. Judging from the annual report of the Playboy Group, the income from the entertainment industry is already on par with the publishing industry. Revenue from pay TV channels now exceeds one-third of the group's total revenue.

"Playboy" magazine is recognized: the most popular brand among high-end consumers in mainland China

In 2000, a street in Chicago was named "Hefner Road". In 1967 He once appeared on the cover of Time magazine (a magazine that Hefner had to look up to) in a report titled: The Pursuit of Pleasure.

We may not know Hefner, but we must have seen the famous rabbit, and we must have heard of the magazine called "Playboy". Some of us may still have it hidden in the cabinet. A set of PLAYBOY underwear. The CNNMONEY website quoted a market survey report as saying that PLAYBOY is the most popular brand among high-end consumers in mainland China today.

The revelation of the bankruptcy of "Penthouse"

Since the 1960s, sexually explicit magazines such as "Penthouse" have appeared next to "Playboy", which is in contrast to the boldness of "up-and-coming stars". , and aggressive, "Playboy" looks like a shy little girl. But Hefner did not choose the road of no return of ever-increasing doses - this is indeed a road of no return. "Penthouse" declared bankruptcy not long ago, and its ending is a lesson. In fact, if there is only naked sex, when this magazine is regarded by everyone (especially decent people) as a nymphomaniac, who would dare to advertise it (except prostitutes)? Who has the nerve to be seen reading it? A smart "playboy" would never end up like this.

"Playboy" in the eyes of readers

Playboy: a business empire that smells bad and eats well

Created by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner He created a Playboy empire and became a strange phenomenon in American culture. In 2003, the 50th anniversary of the founding of Playboy magazine, his daughter Christie Hefner took over and was busy bringing the business empire into line with modern times.

Playboy enters online games

On December 11, 2002, the American Playboy Company reached an agreement with ARUBSH Entertainment and GrooveGame to jointly develop and sell a set of interactive electronic games. This is the first Playboy-style video game that can be used on PC, Sony's PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox and other platforms. It is planned to enter the market in 2004. This game will allow players to play as Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, create a Playboy empire by themselves, and live like a Playboy. Alex Vaickus, head of licensing at Playboy, said: “This transaction marks Playboy’s entry into the video game space and is an important breakthrough for us as it expands our Trademark license for use in entertainment.

"The company's management officials said that Playboy is currently looking for more opportunities to produce more games, especially online games.

At present, everything seems to be very optimistic, because "Playboy" Readers spent $3 million on video games alone last year, and 3.01 million readers brought their own video game equipment. Jim Perkins, CEO of ARUBSH Entertainment, said that this game will be very interesting and exciting.

Related to a recent report, Sony Electronic Entertainment CEO Takeru Yoshiki will come to China to combat piracy, and you can understand why Playboy is eager to enter the video game industry. After all, the market is too fertile. ·Fress also pointed out that the electronic entertainment industry has an annual consumption of 23 billion US dollars and is growing at a rate of 20% per year.

The upcoming game is just the beginning for Playboy. The game will go as far as the market has. Although to them, video games are no different from a fresh and attractive "Playboy" girl.

Playboy advocates a luxurious life<. /p>

"Playboy" is one of the most well-known companies in the international market. Its publication "Playboy" is currently the best-selling men's magazine in the world, and its monthly cost is higher than that of "Esquire". , "GQ" and "Rolling Stone" combined. 25 years ago, "Playboy" began to develop overseas markets, and now there are 19 editions around the world, shared by 5 million readers (mainly men) in different countries. Playboy TV programs are available on cable TV or televisions with direct-to-satellite connections, and they have partners in 50 countries around the world.

In addition, Playboy videos are featured on bulletin boards. Sales volume topped the list. Shopping malls in Beijing sell casual shoes with the head of a little bunny wearing a bow tie. The bunny head was designed by Arthur Paul in 1953 and is considered to represent the entertainment side of "Playboy" and represents the more important aspects of life. The easy part. The rabbit is an important source of global revenue for Playboy. It is the most famous trademark in the world like the big M of McDonald's, the small hook of Nike, and the little man playing polo on the POLO shirt.

< p>Playboy Company authorizes manufacturers around the world to use its various logos. Currently, there are about 2,500 products in more than 80 countries with the Playboy mark, and the annual retail sales of "Playboy" are nearly 250 million US dollars. Targeting young people, it has set up Playboy stores and online games on the Internet. The Playboy Online Club has 140,000 members.

The best-selling "Playboy" is not just because of the lack of clothes. Still, criticism followed from the beginning, with Hefner and his Playboy subject to both feminist criticism and fundamentalist criticism. Spurned. The ongoing lawsuits had an impact on the magazine, and by 1969, the over-the-top photos no longer appeared in Playboy, as they were deemed indecent.

From traditional industries to the information age

The success of "Playboy" led to more male adult magazines, such as "Penthouse" and "HUSTLER", as well as the relatively new More modest men's magazines include Maxim, Men's Health, Rolling Stone, GQ and Esquire, to name a few. Publishing alone was not enough. In February 1960, Hefner opened the first Playboy Club in Chicago. The bunny-style waiters and hot dances made the club chain spread from the east coast to the west coast of the United States like mushrooms after the rain, becoming the most successful chain of nightclubs in American history until the last club closed in 1986. Along with the clubs, the Playboy estate included hotels and casinos. In 1971, Playboy went public and was officially named Playboy Enterprises.

However, what Hefner developed was still a traditional business. It was his daughter, 47-year-old Christie Hefner, who brought modernity to this family business, and is currently the CEO of Playboy. . In 1975, she joined the colorful business empire founded by her father. Although Hugh Hefner has retired, he still serves as the editor-in-chief of "Playboy", and his glory is still there. In an interview in 1999, he said: "A new generation has grown up, and they are waiting for me to come out and play with them. .

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As a woman, Christie Hefner seems a little embarrassed to lead such a company, but she believes that her gender (GENDER) has nothing to do with what she is doing, just like Playboy on Fifth Avenue The building she went to looked like an ordinary office building.

She treated these as ordinary commodities, but they were a little special, and unlike her father, Hugh Hefner himself was the most popular person in the company. Good live advertising. Since becoming CEO in 1988, she has adjusted the company's development strategy from focusing on the domestic and printing industries to electronics and the Internet. In 1994, Christie led the company. Entering the online world, Playboy became the first international magazine to do so. In 1999, Playboy's Internet division earned $70,000, but it was the fastest-growing division in the entire company, about twice what it had been in 1997. . Christie has opened up overseas markets in this way.

At the end of last year, the company will invest 20 million US dollars to build digital equipment that can deliver live digital content online to provide more adult fun for adult men and women. This approach is undoubtedly the best embodiment of "content generates business opportunities" in the Internet information age.

One thing that Christie is very proud of is that a 50-year-old company can satisfy readers from three different aspects. Audiences and buyers, even though the core product is just that.